Round 1

Silva flicks out a few leg kicks and switches stances a few times,
settling in southpaw as he inches around the edge of the cage.
Khabilov works from the center and loads up on a few heavy right
hands, though he can’t connect cleanly on the Brazilian. “Buscape”
keeps Khabilov at bay with body kicks, but there’s little else
happening at the midway mark of the round, prompting referee Neil
Hall to call for action. Khabilov whiffs on a spinning kick, shoots
inside and grabs for Silva’s legs, but his takedown attempt comes
up empty. Silva denies another shot from Khabilov at the 90-second
mark, drops his hands and sidesteps as Khabilov leaps at him with a
flying knee. Suddenly, Silva steps forward and clocks Khabilov with
a left hook, followed by a body kick. The Brazilian forces the
backpedaling Khabilov to the ground and tries to apply a mounted
triangle, but Khabilov bumps and rolls him over to land in Silva’s
guard. Khabilov tries to make up some ground in the final 20
seconds with short punches and elbows to the face.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Khabilov finds some early success in round two, as he backs up
Silva to the fence and connects with a few clean punches. Two
minutes in, however, it’s back to the same pattern of round one:
Silva keeping his distance with body kicks and jabs, dropping his
hands to try and lure Khabilov into an exchange. Khabilov steps in
to throw and gets wrapped up in a bodylock, but he shoves away
before Silva can turn it into a takedown. Khabilov shoots for a
takedown of his own, opening with a double but completing it with a
single-leg at the fence. Silva wraps up tight from the bottom, then
angles for an armbar or triangle from the bottom. Khabilov seems
unconcerned; he stacks up the Brazilian and waits for Silva to give
up on the maneuver, then gets back to his grinding ground-and-pound
with short punches and elbows.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

After a tense start to the final frame, Khabilov steps through a
Silva body kick to try another takedown, this time by way of
bodylock. Silva spins around the cage with the “Tiger” and keeps
his footing, eventually pushing Khabilov away to resume striking.
Silva’s kicks, combined with his constant motion, continue to keep
Khabilov out of punching range as they reach the midway point of
the round. Khabilov shoots a single against the fence but he’s
having trouble spinning Silva to the floor. Silva throws a 12-to-6
elbow and receives a verbal warning from referee Hall. Soon after,
Khabilov succeeds in spinning Silva to the ground, but the
Brazilian is back on his feet just seconds later. Silva jabs his
way forward, sprawls on a long shot from Khabilov and shoots for a
late takedown. Khabilov catches Silva with an uppercut on the way
in and sprawls on the shot as the final seconds tick away.

The Official Result

Round 1

Hermansson starts the fight with stomping oblique kicks at the
thighs of Askham, who tries to use his long reach to come over the
top with right hands. Askham throws a body kick and has to yank it
back just as quickly when Hermansson catches hold of it. Midway
through the round, Hermansson shoots a long double-leg and pushes
Askham to the wall, but the lengthy Englishman keeps his footing at
the fence. Askham separates and presses forward with an outside leg
kick, now an uppercut that buzzes by Hermansson’s head. “The Joker”
returns fire with a stiff body kick of his own before being pressed
against the cage by Askham again. The middleweights spend the final
30 seconds in the clinch.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Hermansson comes out firing in the second frame, marching forward
on Askham with low kicks and hard right hands. The tall southpaw
Askham stays on his back foot, trying to use his long kicks and
jabs to keep Hermansson out of striking range. Nonetheless,
Hermansson blasts down the center with a hard, straight right hand
that backs up the Brit. Askham tries a single-leg, but Hermansson
hops backward on one leg until Askham releases. Hermansson backs up
Askham to the fence and unloads with two or three heavy right
hands, forcing Askham to clinch up momentarily. Two minutes left in
the round, and Hermansson is upping his aggression even more now.
Askham is being kept very near the fence as Hermansson continues to
connect with blistering right hands. Askham tries a clinch, looking
for a takedown, but Hermansson slugs him with an uppercut inside.
The Swede pumps his jab in Askham’s face, now more kicks to the
legs and body. Hermansson botches a bodylock takedown in the
closing seconds, allowing Askham to land on top and attempt a
last-second heel hook.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

The middleweights get tangled up in an early scramble, and it’s
Askham who winds up on the bottom, grasping for another leglock.
Hermansson stands up and drops vertical punches until the
Englishman releases the loose submission attempt. Down to the
ground comes Hermansson, but he’s forced to stretch out when Askham
gets hold of his legs again. The 185ers climb back to their feet,
where Hermansson lights up Askham with a combination of punches and
knees at the fence. Hermansson wants another takedown as they hit
the halfway mark in the final round, but when Askham denies it,
“The Joker” settles for a clinch uppercut before separating.
Hermansson keeps the punishment coming, rocking Askham’s head with
another huge uppercut. Knees to the body working for Hermansson now
as he roughs up Askham against a cage post. Askham reverses the
position in the final minute and throws a few knees to the body in
the tie-up, but at this stage it could be too little, too late.

The Official Result

Round 1

Danho lunges at Colombo with an overhand right, misses and then
clinches up behind it. The heavyweights hit the fence, where Danho
switches to a high double-leg and spins Colombo to the other side
of the cage. Colombo breaks out of the takedown attempt with a
clinch knee which narrowly misses Danho’s jaw. Danho resets, comes
over the top with a nice right hand, then tries the takedown again.
Colombo denies it and pushes Danho away with another knee. More
clinch on the fence follows, Danho taking the outside position.
Colombo grabs a front headlock, perhaps looking for a guillotine
choke, but he settles for a few more knees to Danho’s face. Danho
breaks loose and grabs for Colombo’s legs, but the taller man
forces him away with more knee strikes. Danho backs off, resets and
comes charging forward with more punches, then dives on Colombo’s
legs. Colombo reverses and tries another clinch, but Danho leans
forward and puts a hand on the mat. Colombo connects with a knee to
the top of the head while Danho’s fingertips are still touching the
canvas, and referee Marc Goddard deducts one point for the
infraction.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Danho comes barging forward again, trying to run Colombo against
the fence to work for a takedown, but the taller man fights him off
with knees. Danho circles away, resets and catches a kick from
Colombo, tripping “Godzilla” to the ground in the center of the
cage. Danho comes down in side control on Colombo’s left, throws
punches to the head as Colombo rolls to his knees and struggles to
his feet. Once standing, Danho tries to run Colombo against the
fence again, but Colombo isn’t having it this time. Colombo
continues to hunt for a front headlock or guillotine choke, but the
height disparity is making it difficult, as Danho just keeps
dropping to the ground to escape. Colombo walks him down and finds
the mark with another knee to the head; Danho responds by clinching
him against the fence, though only for a few seconds. Both men look
exhausted as they enter the final 90 seconds of the round. Colombo
traps Danho against the fence for more knees; Danho tries to put a
hand on the ground to make the strikes illegal, but he can’t do it.
The big men separate briefly and Danho nearly secures a standing
rear waistlock. Colombo simply turns around and mucles Danho
against the fence, where the Danish fighter finishes the round with
knees to the body and more punches.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Colombo catches Danho leaning inside with a right hand, but Danho
gets vertical again before the man from Denmark can catch hold of
his neck. Colombo forces him against the fence and connects with
another knee. Danho dives in again, gets reversed against the fence
and has to defend as Colombo once again fishes for a headlock. The
heavyweights separate with just over three minutes on the clock,
but they’re soon back on the fence with Colombo scoring knees and
body shots. Danho gets some distance and wobbles backward with his
hands low; Colombo walks after him and paws with tired punches.
Danho thwarts a takedown attempt and stuffs Colombo to the ground;
as Colombo stands, Danho bops him with three or four heavy punches,
but the tired assault drops off soon after they stand. Down to the
final 30 seconds, the spent big men rest on the fence in the
clinch, Danho in the outside position. Colombo manages a few more
knees to the body, now one to the head, just before time expires.

The Official Result

Round 1

Lapilus comes out firing punches but soon has to go on the
defensive, as Brazilian jiu-jitsu ace Issa catches a leg and gets
to work on a takedown. Issa spins to take a standing rear waistlock
and then drags Lapilus to the canvas near the fence. Lapilus stands
up quickly, gets taken down again and then stands once more. The
Frenchman dings Issa with a few hard elbows to the side of the head
before Issa spins him to the ground yet again. Lapilus stands,
still trapped against the fence as “Brodinho” remains glued to him.
Lapilus is doing well to disrupt Issa’s latest takedown attempt,
repeatedly peeling away the Brazilian’s hands as he works for a
double-leg. Finally, with 90 seconds remaining in round one,
Lapilus creates some separation and unloads on Issa with blistering
punches. Issa is in trouble, his head wobbling on his shoulders as
he moves around the edge of the fence. Referee Lukasz Bosacki takes
a close look at the action, but he doesn’t stop the fight and
Lapilus’ attacks drop off soon after. Issa takes another straight
left hand to the face and is denied another takedown attempt in the
closing seconds.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Issa comes chasing after the takedown again in round two, but again
Lapilus is able to keep himself out of danger with the help of the
fence. Lapilus spins Issa’s back against the fence and hits the
Brazilian with a knee to the body, then a right hand as Issa dashes
away. Lapilus walks him down to land a body shot, then a straight
left hand counter when Issa tries to throw a punch. Issa gets
backed up to the fence, eats a few stiff jabs and an elbow to the
face, and now he circles away to reset on the other side of the
cage. Issa dives for a single-leg-turned-ankle pick, but Lapilus
makes his leg limp and extracts it before strolling away. Lapilus
steps inside to clinch, Issa snatches a headlock and jumps guard,
but Lapilus pulls his head out of the loose choke just seconds
after they hit the floor.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Lapilus walks Issa around the edge of the cage, flicking out jabs
but not finding a home on the evasive Brazilian. Issa changes
levels and forces Lapilus to sprawl with his back against the cage;
despite getting in deep on a single-leg this time, Issa still
cannot complete the takedown. Lapilus finally separates around the
midway point of the round and gets back to walking down Issa,
marching on the grappler with straight punches. Issa changes levels
again, but Lapilus continues to defend well. Issa is fading down
the stretch here, allowing Lapilus to close the distance and
connect with punches at a higher rate.

The Official Result

Round 1

The southpaw Macedo hops backward in an active stance as
Evans-Smith pushes forward, throwing punches but coming up short
against her moving target. Macedo counters Evans-Smith with a
spinning back kick to the body and then throws up her hands at the
American to draw her forward again. Evans-Smith tries a clinch on
the wall, but Macedo looks to reverse for a throw of her own, and
the bantamweights instead separate with about three minutes left in
the round. Another clinch from Evans-Smith now, but again Macedo is
able to stay standing and reverse the wrestler. Evans-Smith finally
secures a takedown with 90 seconds left in the opening round; she
jumps on the back of the kneeling Macedo and establishes both hooks
as they roll toward the center. Macedo is flattened out on her
stomach, but she rolls over, leaving Evans-Smith in full mount with
nearly one minute to work. Evans-Smith applies a kimura, but she
can’t finish it before Macedo wriggles out from underneath. Back up
comes Macedo, finishing the round on her feet and popping
Evans-Smith with a few punches before the horn.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Evans-Smith goes straight back to the clinch, muscling the smaller
Macedo against the fence and looking for an early takedown. Macedo
rolls for a kneebar, stands up, spins Evans-Smith around, gets
reversed back and eats a few straight punches before the American
grabs control again. The 135ers split and circle back to the center
of the cage, where Macedo backpedals and lands a few leg kicks on
the incoming Evans-Smith. They hit the fence again, where
Evans-Smith tries and fails on a short-lived single-leg attempt.
Macedo dives for the kneebar again and winds up eating punches from
Evans-Smith, who moves from side control to north-south position
with 30 seconds left. Macedo climbs back to her feet, only to be
hurled back to the ground before time expires.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Evans-Smith controls the center of the cage for the opening minute,
keeping Macedo out of striking range with long front kicks and
jabs. Once Evans-Smith pushes out toward the fence and gets hold of
her opponent, Macedo goes diving for her third kneebar attempt.
Evans-Smith kneels and stacks up Macedo, who won’t let go of the
leg even as Evans-Smith mashes her face with right hands. The
punches are connecting with force, and Macedo’s head is flat on the
ground with nowhere to go. Evans-Smith smells blood and postures up
to increase the force on her punches, now mixing elbows into the
attack. Referee Neil Hall tells Macedo to fight back, and when she
doesn’t, he steps in to stop the fight.

The Official Result

Round 1

Sobotta’s first low kick of the fight draws a warning from referee
Leon Roberts, as the shot strays close to Dalby’s groin. Sobotta
sticks a jab, lands a body kick and catches Dalby with a front kick
to the face. Dalby tries to keep hold of the leg, but Sobotta hops
backward until he can pull the limb free. A right hand from Sobotta
sends Dalby to the mat, and the German tries to pound out his dazed
opponent with a barrage of hammerfists. Dalby survives the
follow-up attack and puts Sobotta in his guard. Sobotta looks to
posture up and inflict more damage with punches, then passes to
side control on Dalby’s right. Dalby wraps up tight from the bottom
while Sobotta leans across his opponent’s body, looking perhaps for
a kimura or choke setup. Nothing materializes there, so Sobotta
goes back to dropping punches on Dalby’s face as they enter the
final 90 seconds of the round. Dalby tries to roll free and has his
back taken by Sobotta with 45 seconds on the clock. Sobotta throws
punches with both hands, trying to soften up Dalby and apply a
rear-naked choke. Dalby, leaking blood from a cut on his left
cheek, defends well down the stretch and will survive to see round
two.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Dalby’s left eye is badly swollen as he emerges for the second
frame, but it’s Sobotta who needs a timeout after catching a finger
in the eye during an early exchange. Referee Roberts calls for the
cageside doctor, who quickly clears Sobotta to continue. On the
restart, Sobotta catches a kick from Dalby, spins him around and
drags him to the canvas. Dalby regains his footing, but only for a
split-second before Sobotta trips him back to the mat. Sobotta
works from deep half guard on Dalby’s right side, landing short
left hands to the face while controlling the position. Sobotta is
slowly working his way to full mount, but just before he gets
there, Dalby pushes him back to half guard. Sobotta advances to
side control with 90 seconds left in the round, gets pushed back to
half guard 30 seconds later. Dalby is trying to mount some offense
from the bottom, but there doesn’t appear to be much behind his
punches. The referee calls for action; Sobotta obliges with three
or four hard left hands to Dalby’s face.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Dalby takes the outside position in the clinch and separates with a
slashing elbow to Sobotta’s head. Sobotta seems unfazed by the
strike and resumes jabbing Dalby’s damaged eye once the
welterweights break the clinch. Now it’s Sobotta coming back to tie
up, if only briefly. Dalby pushes him away and steps forward on the
German, who uncorks a hard kick to the body. Dalby charges at
Sobotta and has his own momentum used against him, as Sobotta drops
levels and scores another takedown. Sobotta crams Dalby against the
base of the fence and uses heavy top pressure to hold him down from
side control. Dalby rolls to his knees, then puts his back on the
mat again when Sobotta threatens to take his back. The 170-pounders
scramble back to their feet with 20 seconds remaining. Dalby
sprawls on Sobotta’s final takedown attempt, and that’s where it
ends.

The Official Result

Round 1

Ayari is on his back foot in the early going, and he finds the mark
on Wallhead’s body with a few hard kicks in the opening 60 seconds.
Wallhead hops forward with his left arm outstretched, right arm
cocked, but he’s struggling to get inside on Ayari through the
first two minutes of the bout. The welterweights clinch briefly,
but Ayari dashes away to the other side of the cage. Ayari puts
another kick in Wallhead’s breadbasket, then a hard shot to the
lead leg. Ayari scores with an uppercut, angles away and catches
Wallhead with another good leg kick. Ayari gets knocked off-balance
and to the floor with a right hand, but he’s back on his feet
before Wallhead can capitalize. Ayari continues to circle the
perimeter, forcing Wallhead to chase after him and resulting in a
largely inactive latter half of the round.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

After another minute spent chasing, Wallhead connects with a right
hand-left hook combination, but Ayari eats the punches and
continues circling. Another minute passes without much activity,
Ayari constantly circling with his back near the fence and Wallhead
constantly chasing after him. Ayari connects with an uppercut;
Wallhead answers with a right hand over the top. Ayari backs up
“Judo Jimmy” with a body kick, misses with one upstairs. The
welterweights are both in the center of the cage with two minutes
left in the round. Wallhead keeps chasing after Ayari with punches,
but the German is using good head movement to avoid Wallhead’s
punches down the stretch. Wallhead connects with one last
combination before the horn, and the German crowd boos the lack of
activity.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Wallhead presses forward and swings big right hands at Ayari, who
backs up the Englishman by threatening to grab for a double-leg.
Ayari lands a body kick, now an uppercut, another uppercut and
finally a left hand as he angles away from his fellow UFC newcomer.
Wallhead just keeps coming forward, bouncing on his toes about a
foot away from Ayari, who is keeping to the outside as he has for
most of the bout. Midway through the round, Ayari steps forward and
denies a clinch or trip attempt from Wallhead. The welterweights
meet in the center, where Ayari drops his hands, baiting Wallhead
to throw strikes. Ayari connects with an uppercut and barks at
Wallhead, who catches the German with his hands low and drops him
with a left hook. Ayari hits the ground and throws up his long
legs, trying to keep Wallhead from following up on the knockdown.
Ayari powers back to his feet with just over one minute remaining.
Now it’s Ayari coming forward, slugging Wallhead with a pair of
clean left hands. Ayari grabs the Thai clinch and pushes Wallhead
against the fence with a knee to the gut, an elbow to the face.
Ayari is pouring it on here in the final minute, and Wallhead looks
to be fading as he dashes away with his hands by his waist.
Wallhead clips Ayari with an overhand right in the final seconds of
the fight, and Ayari finishes the fight diving for a desperate
takedown.

The Official Result

Round 1

The southpaw Hein and right-hander Bang spend the opening 90
seconds dipping in and out of range, firing jabs and high kicks but
not connecting with anything of note. Hein switches between stances
before connecting with a straight right hand and following through
with a quick takedown. Hein works to extract his left leg from
Bang’s half guard, keeping heavy pressure on top and peppering the
Korean with short left hands. Bang pushes him off and both men
scramble back to their feet with about 90 seconds left in the first
frame. Bang comes over the top with a right hand, then puts a hard
kick on Hein’s body. Hein tries a left high kick in the closing
seconds, but Bang gets a glove up to block.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Hein steps into the pocket and gets picked off with a left hand
that drops him to a knee. The “Sergeant” climbs back to his feet
and wraps up Bang against the fence, hunting for a trip takedown
while holding the Korean in a bodylock. Referee Lukasz Bosacki
calls for action as the lightweights clinch on the fence, and now
they separate about 90 seconds into the round. The fighters fall
into another stretch of inactivity, with neither man willing to
engage, instead staying just out of range and punching at air. Bang
tries to close the gap and gets sidestepped, but he catches Hein
with a right hook a few seconds later. Suddenly, Hein rushes inside
to grab a waistlock and trip Bang to the ground. Bang stands up
right away but can’t escape Hein’s grip, keeping him on the fence.
Bang trips Hein to the floor, and now both men stand up for the
final 20 seconds.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Bang catches the incoming Hein with a body kick, ducks under the
German’s punch but can’t find the mark with his counter on the
other side. Hein takes a hard left hook to the jaw, but the
lightweights clash heads in the exchange and Bang comes away with a
cut on the outside of his right eyebrow. Referee Lukasz Bosacki
calls time and brings the medic in to check on Bang, who is quickly
cleared to continue. The blood is dripping just outside of Bang’s
right eye and doesn’t seem to be impeding his vision. Bang walks
into a blistering left cross from Hein, but the Korean recovers
quickly and thuds Hein’s body with a hard kick. Down to the final
two minutes now, and it’s Bang chasing Hein around the cage. Hein
tries to grab hold and take him down, but he has to bail when Bang
threatens to toss Hein over his hip. More pressure from Bang yields
another right hand on Hein’s cheek. Hein looks tentative now,
constantly backing away from Bang’s pressure and offering little in
the way of offense. Bang clips Hein with a left hook in an
exchange, then a right hand after the bell for which the Korean
fighter immediately apologizes.

The Official Result

Round 1

Latifi whiffs on a kick and has to find his footing, as he nearly
slips to the floor. Latifi’s early efforts to get inside on Bader’s
legs are unsuccessful, and the American wrestler catches Latifi
with a clean jab as he comes forward to try again. Bader switches
between southpaw and orthodox stances before digging into Latifi’s
body with a hard kick. Latifi goes to change levels again and gets
kicked in the face for his trouble. Latifi ducks under an overhand
right but still can’t get hold of Bader to attempt a takedown. “The
Hammer” gets a little closer with a bodylock and trip, but Bader
keeps his footing as they hit the final minute of round one. Latifi
bounces a pair of overhand rights off Bader’s left arm before
dropping the American with a hook in the final seconds of the
round.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Bader shoots and gets sprawled on, then stands up and gets shoved
against the fence by Latifi with an underhook. The 205ers separate,
clinch and then split again, with Bader scoring an elbow on the
break. Latifi draws a deep breath as he bounces on his toes in
front of Bader, then shoots straight into a perfectly timed Bader
kick. Bader’s knee connects flush on Latifi’s jaw, knocking him out
cold and sending referee Neil Hall in for the stoppage.

The Official Result

Round 1

Blachowicz puts a pair of jabs on Gustafsson in the first 30
seconds, opening a small cut underneath the Swede’s right eye.
Gustafsson takes a few more punches to the face before pushing
Blachowicz against the fence for a brief clinch. Both 205ers
connect with punches in the next exchange, then Gustafsson comes
back for another clinch on the cage. Blachowicz tries to land a
left hook on the break, but Gustafsson ducks underneath. “The
Mauler” touches Blachowicz with a long jab, then another that
leaves Blachowicz swinging at air. Blachowicz comes inside to
clinch and hits Gustafsson’s body with an uppercut, now a crisp
knee. Blachowicz scores with a one-two and angles away before
Gustafsson can connect with his counter. Gustafsson runs Blachowicz
against the fence again and this time trips him to the floor.
Blachowicz wraps up tight from the bottom, thwarting Gustafsson’s
first wave of offense and then forcing the Swede to fend off an
armbar. Gustafsson gets through with a pair of elbow strikes,
snuffs out another armbar try and finishes the round on top.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

The light heavyweights are slinging hands in the opening moments of
round two, but after absorbing a few punches, Gustafsson opts to
change levels and drive Blachowicz to the floor. Blachowicz keeps a
high guard, but the taller Gustafsson is able to posture up and
score with elbow strikes which slice up the Polish fighter’s
forehead. Gustafsson passes to side control, though only
momentarily as Blachowicz quickly reclaims full guard. Blachowicz
looks to be waiting for an armbar, but he can’t lock down
Gustafsson’s arm, and the result is more topside offense for the
Swede. A loose guillotine attempt from Blachowicz falls by the
wayside as Gustafsson continues to gain momentum with his
ground-and-pound. With 30 seconds left, Gustafsson stands over
Blachowicz and looks for an opening to advance. Gustafsson nearly
comes down in side control, but Blachowicz pivots and holds him in
full guard to end the round.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Gustafsson turns the head of Blachowicz with a hard overhand right,
then backpedals away as Blachowicz throws a kick to the body.
Blachowicz steps into the pocket and has his head rocked by a stiff
jab. One minute into the round, Gustafsson wraps up Blachowicz and
trips him back to the floor, once again setting up in the Polish
fighter’s closed guard. Gustafsson mixes up his strikes on the
floor, throwing elbows up top and punches to the body. All the
while, Blachowicz is looking for an angle to apply an armbar, but
he remains unable to lock down Gustafsson’s arms. “The Mauler”
continues to grind away on top, keeping busy with hammerfists and
grinding elbows. It’s not enough action for referee Marc Goddard,
who brings the fighters to their feet with about 90 seconds left on
the clock. The stand-up only lasts a few seconds, as Gustafsson
blasts into another takedown attempt and drives Blachowicz back to
the canvas. Blachowicz gets his head stapled to the mat with a
heavy elbow strike, and now Gustafsson finally passes to side
control. Blachowicz puts him right back in guard, and that’s where
the fight concludes.

The Official Result

Round 1

Arlovski connects with his first uppercut of the fight, then nearly
gets dropped seconds later by Barnett’s return fire. The
heavyweights tangle on the fence, Arlovski on the outside, but now
Barnett reverses to put the “Pit Bull” against a cage post. The
fighters separate and Arlovski is sporting a cut on his hairline,
dripping blood down the middle of his face. Referee Leon Roberts
tells the fighters to “watch the heads” after they clash in an
exchange. Barnett digs an underhook and pushes Arlovski against the
cage again, now stomping Arlovski’s feet from the outside. Arlovski
pushes off the fence and uses the momentum to reap Barnett’s
outside leg, tripping the “Warmaster” to the floor. Arlovski stands
over Barnett and delivers an axe kick to the American’s legs. The
ref tells Arlovski to “do something with that position” or risk
Barnett being brought back to his feet. Arlovski continues to stand
over Barnett, doing little, and now ref Roberts stands up Barnett.
Arlovski connects with a right hand over the top, now a pair of
uppercuts as he catches Barnett backing up. Barnett gives his
opponent a grin before driving Arlovski against the fence with a
single-leg attempt. Arlovski gets the leg free and looks for
another trip, but Barnett has him pinned against the fence as the
final 30 seconds run down.

Sherdog Scores

Round 2

Barnett misses with an overhand right but uses the punch to step
inside and hug Arlovski against the cage once again. Arlovski turns
him around but can’t do anything with the position, and referee
Roberts breaks up the fighters after 90 seconds of inactivity.
Arlovski steps into the pocket and slugs Barnett with an uppercut;
Barnett fires back with a right hook before pushing Arlovski to the
fence yet again. The ref is on top of it this time, immediately
ordering the fighters to keep busy in the tie-up. The heavyweights
don’t exactly obey the command, though Barnett makes an effort to
maintain the position by throwing right hands to Arlovski’s body.
They fight off the fence, still in the clinch, and then tumble to
the ground with Barnett landing on top. Barnett passes to full
mount and begins working for an arm-triangle choke setup. When the
choke doesn’t materialize, Barnett keeps an arm looped around
Arlovski’s head and drops left hands on his face. Arlovski
continues to squirm and move underneath, not leaving a stationary
target for Barnett’s ground-and-pound. Barnett turns up the heat on
his punches with 20 seconds left, but he can’t inflict enough
damage to force a stoppage.

Sherdog Scores

Round 3

Arlovski finds some success as he closes the gap and pops Barnett
with a few punches in the collar tie, but Barnett slows the attack
with a nasty uppercut that snaps back the Belarusian’s head.
Arlovski pushes Barnett to the fence, where Barnett uses a kimura
to drag the “Pit Bull” to the ground. Barnett keeps hold of the
armlock as they hit the floor, but he releases after a few seconds
in favor of establishing himself in Arlovski’s half guard. Barnett
works from half guard on Arlovski’s right side, with his left side
flush to the fence, making it difficult for Barnett to work the
submission. Instead, Barnett passes to full mount with more than
two minutes left in the round. Arlovski rolls over, and Barnett
wastes no time in applying a rear-naked choke that has Arlovski
tapping within seconds.